


Her Name Was

by RaggsEnriches



Series: Butterfly Effect [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-03-10 19:11:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13507977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaggsEnriches/pseuds/RaggsEnriches
Summary: AU where Aang didn't meet the Lion Turtle; so now he personally must decide what he will do when it comes time to face off with Ozai. The effects of his choice will be devastating no matter what.





	Her Name Was

**Author's Note:**

> This was my part of the four part story I wrote with my teammates in the finals of the Pro-Bender Circuit, season 5.   
> I decided Aang would take a different person along with him to the fight, someone who would change the course of history and how people viewed Aang for the rest of his life. Someone who is a little more feisty and will take drastic measures in times of trouble; unlike Aang.

It had come down to the basic sound of thunder within one's ears, a clap that echoed for miles and miles. A choice that was going to play this out one way or another, a feeling that made Aang dread every single minute that was going to come after this. Things were going to change when he fought Ozai no matter the outcome. Having a friend tag along had been one outcome he had not considered.

Katara only gazed at him sweetly as he gripped her hand, pulling her along as they flew up to the top of the rock where Ozai stood. Every inch of Aang's mind told him this was going to lead to an invisible, inevitable, trail of regret. How  _could_ he have brought her along? The words of Sokka, Zuko, even Toph, echoed in his mind as he pushed them up the side of the rock.

' _Take care of my sister, Aang. Although, she'll probably do the same right back at you.'_ Sokka had been  _smiling_  while he'd said that.

' _Twinkletoes, I will actually have to fight her if anything happens to you. Oh, and vice versa, I guess. I could turn it into a full on brawl where…'_  Toph had then gone on for a full five minutes before Zuko shouted at her to shut up.

' _Do what you have to.'_ The scar-faced boy had simply said.

There was little doubt in Aang's mind that all of those were genuine, but they still flung little yellow warning signs all around his brain. He inhaled deeply to clear his mind, and prepared to land.

Ozai stood on top of the rock with a look on his face that showed no signs of stopping. Not an inch of sympathy was evident anywhere in that cold hearted look.

Katara and he stood beside one another, facing the tall dark man with a sudden heightened sense of security. They were two powerful people, while this was only one powerful man. A man with credible damage to his name, Aang had to admit, but a man who was only ever going to be one person.

"You came to see my splendor when I am able to defeat you once and for all, Avatar! I have been waiting for you, of course." The coldness in his voice echoed the look on his face. "The Phoenix King will be triumphant in this battle."

"Such confidence." Katara challenged back, yet Aang wished she hadn't. Not yet, not yet, not yet.

"You brought along a little friend to watch your demise, Avatar? What sort of cruel joke is this? She is a Waterbender. We are in the desert."

Katara pointed furiously at the canteens that hung from her belt. She was already getting impatient with the man, and while Aang didn't find her anger a problem, he wasn't sure he wanted her fighting first.

"Let me have this one." He said quietly to her, then looked back at Ozai. "I won't let you do this."

Ozai laughed, "Oh, that's what they all say! It is merely words, boy, and I can promise that when I am through with you, I will be more powerful than ever before."

Inhaling deeply, he lunged at the man, fire shooting from his palm and earth beneath him shooting up to provide him a podium to stand on with a stamp of a foot. Katara waited in silence as the Fire Lord took his first shot at the Avatar. A brilliant flame leapt from the man's outstretched palm, ducked by Aang just in time.

"Fight harder, Avatar!"

* * *

Flashes of fire and chunks of earth and heavy wind brushed past in the skirmish that was fought atop the rock in the Fire Nation's main territory.

And all through it, Katara stood there, just as Aang had instructed her to do in the first place back at the camp. It seemed as though Aang had the upper hand, his Avatar state had yet to kick in yet: which was a sign of strength for him in her eyes. She took it in as she could, watching and waiting for the time to intervene and douse the fire that emitted from the "Phoenix King".

Suddenly one large flash of flame that was larger than the rest swelled up and - it was  _not_  Aang's.

Katara's immediate reaction was to let out a small scream, hearing Aang's cry of pain as he fell to the ground, dazed. She knelt beside him in a flash, seeing how tired he truly looked. His leg looked like it had been burnt badly but he was shaking his head at her.

"I'm not going to just sit here, Aang, and let him have this. You won't fight anymore either. Stay where you are." She gripped his shoulder in the shock of the true sight of his leg. It was totally burned.

Aang continued to shake his head, "Katara, you can't fight him."

"I will do what I want if you're injured. Don't. Even. Try."

He continued looking up at her with desperation, but she merely shook her head back at him and turned to try and peer through the dust. As it cleared, the obvious attacker was revealed.

Ozai stood breathing heavily, grinning with his maniac grin at the sight of the Avatar rendered useless. With a small grunt, Katara stood up to face him with anger she had only once felt before with the image of Aang's pained face in her head. This time she would show no mercy.

The look on the Firelord's face was one of pure disinterest in the situation that had now arisen. He clearly did not believe she could show any sort of hatred or anger - and that was what put Katara off the most.

For more times in her life than she could begin to count now, she had been stuck in a perpetual situation of running away from the dangers that emitted from the Fire Nation. At the front of all of her problems, barreling towards her and her friends, was this man's army that he had controlled for far too long now. Every escape had been because of him. Every time they had been threatened, it was his fault for threatening them. Even Zuko had run out eventually by the way his father treated him.

And now Aang, Aang of all people, was lying injured on the ground because Ozai was too powerful for anyone. Anyone except her anger.

With a brush of her hair over her shoulder, she let out a roar and raised her arm, forcing a wave of water from her canteens.

The flame it clashed with was doused in an instantaneous burst of light. Every time they would send something at each other all it would do was flash and die. Flash and die, flash and die, flash and die, over and over again.

No words had to be spoken between them. Katara could only see blinding white anger behind her vision, motioning as she needed to with all the effort she had left inside of her. Fueled by the rage she felt only made the effort all the greater.

"You won't get away with this!" Ozai screamed over the sound of an explosion as they clashed once more. Katara only smirked as she continued to soak the water back up and use it once more.

A change came over her in the next few moments as the repetition began to grow dull, becoming only a background noise that was sustained only by the fury that both felt. There was another way to do this and she knew it very well. She had the methods, she knew the temptation that lay with them. Ozai was one who it was justifiable to perform upon.

She didn't  _really_ hear Aang calling out weakly to her over the explosions, she only heard the faint noise of it. The Waterbender heard only what she wanted to. Hearing the sound of someone persuading her to stop was not something she wanted to hear right now. This man was going to suffer.

The explosions stopped as Katara felt for other water sources, finding her target easily. Ozai quickly lost control of his limbs as he flopped about on top of the rock. He stared with abject horror as his body was twisted around without his consent, a face which most victims of bloodbending always wore.

"You are such -" she grunted, "a horrible man, and you deserve this. You deserve what I'm giving to you. Do you know why?"

"Katara, stop!" Aang was calling. She still could not hear him clearly, for she did not want to hear him clearly.

"Because you've hurt me and my friends more than I can even begin to describe. You would betray anyone if it meant getting your way, and that is despicable. That is how you will be remembered. Not as a great king, or lord, or whatever you call yourself, but someone who betrayed only to get his way. I hope you enjoy that."

And she flung him off the top of the rock formation with a wave of her hands.

* * *

Aang had watched the whole scene in the same abject terror inside him that had been written over Ozai's face the entire time. He had watched as Katara fell to her knees at the end of it, her face wiped of the anger that had been there.

He had watched as the rest of their friends slid slowly away from Katra when the news was delivered as soon as they landed back on safe grounds. Aang watched the way Zuko was cautious to talk to her about anything for days, years, later. He had watched the way Toph became caught up with her students, and the way she never really connected with Katara or himself for years and years later. The hardest to watch was Sokka.

Sokka tried to prevent slipping away. He was her brother, after all. There was the obvious duty he felt to keep her close. He stayed close, through the rest of their early adulthood. Even when their first child was born, he was there, denying all the illusions brought up by complete strangers that they had all lost their marbles and what was coming to them was deserved.

At the end of the day, all Sokka could do was leave one last message to Aang.

"Watch her."

That was the last Aang had heard or seen of the man that he had called his friend once.

He stayed next to Katara, he definitely watched over her. She got recognition for being the one to end Ozai, but it caused it's fair share of problems with the people of the Fire Nation for some time. Her own father had stopped wanting to see her as often.

All Aang could do was stand beside her day to day. Make sure she didn't lose control, although she never did, ever again. She never spoke of the fact that bloodbending had ever even been used to kill by her, but she did speak about it's dangers to others. She spoke out against those who used it for crime. She spoke out against the ability to use it. She became an advocate for anyone affected by bloodbending, and they were the only ones aside from Aang who ever truly listened to her.

Katara's main fear was that no one would remember her in a good light. There was no way of telling if this was ever to be the case, it was a silent fear that stuck with both of them for the rest of their days.

* * *

And years and years and years later, when they had both passed, he watched as his predecessor spoke with a new friend. Someone he didn't know, someone new. Katara was standing beside him as they stared down to the world below, watching the interaction carefully.

She was talking to the boy about casual things, walking along the city streets and the tension was low until he brought up questions about her past life. Aang grinned to himself, although he feared what may come up.

The boy had suddenly asked her if she had been the one to end Ozai, or were the legends of the female warrior true?

And Korra gazed up at the sky almost knowingly, and nodded.

"Her name was Katara."

Beside him in the spirit world, Katara placed a hand on his shoulder and looked back at him with a teary gaze.

She was remembered well.


End file.
